


Life Changer

by celestialriptide



Series: Legends in the Forest [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Biting, Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Gore, Horror, M/M, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Monsters, Murder Husbands, POV Acxa, POV Alternating, POV Keith (Voltron), Running Away, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 17:17:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19024405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialriptide/pseuds/celestialriptide
Summary: When Acxa is fifteen, she runs away for the third time.





	Life Changer

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not done with these two, or my love letter to darker, bloodier vampires. You don't have to have read 'Lore Keeper, Life Reaper' to understand this one, but it does take place about 6 years before LKLR  
> [Find me on twitter](https://twitter.com/astralundertow)

When Acxa is fifteen, she runs away for the third time. Her foster parents had bought a second car and told her not to touch it, so she steals the keys to the old one and leaves. Technically, she didn’t break their rule. 

She doesn’t take anything with her, getting lucky enough that her wallet was already in her pocket. She eyes the keys still hanging by the door as it shuts behind her parents, and then she didn’t move until she could no longer hear them outside anymore. Then she ran, snatching the keys from their place and leaving the door open wide behind her. 

She doesn’t pay attention to where she’s going, just takes the ramp south and silently thanks her friends for teaching her how to drive, at least a little. She’ll have to tell them, when she comes back. She hopes she remembers.

The first state line doesn’t register in her mind. She’s been driving for hours, only stopping once for gas, when the second flashes by her and she has to find a place to stop. It’s not the first time she’s ran away, but she knows now that it’s definitely the farthest she’s ever run. She’s never been outside of her own state before, so she isn’t sure where she even is now. At some point, she’d ended up on a smaller highway, and as the sun starts to dip it registers in her mind that she hasn’t seen another car for miles. 

Ahead, there’s a single sign leading to a turn off. She hits her blinker, and follows the new road into the trees. The forest gets steadily denser around her, trees towering high over the road and blocking out almost all of the remaining sun. It’s eerie, and she slows the car as she tries to watch for deer. A friend had mentioned, once, about how easy they were to hit. She wasn’t sure if there were any _to_ hit, but she wanted to be safe. She wouldn’t be able to go home at all if she wrecked the car.

The trees begin to thin after fifteen minutes, and at twenty she’s greeted by a sign at the edge of the tree line. She blinks at it, all royal purples and blacks, and mumbles the name under her breath. “Mar...mora…”

Twilight is fading into dusk, and a loud sound from her stomach reminds her that she hasn’t eaten since before her parents (and, subsequently, she herself) had left the house that morning. A small diner at the end of the towns main strip catches her eye, and she decides to stop. As she parks, she tries to count in her head and remember how much money she has left. She prays that it’s enough while she’s stuffing the keys in her pocket and pulling open the door.

She nearly jumps when she’s greeted by a posh voice calling out to her from the other side of the counter. She looks up and blinks at the sight of a tall woman with long, platinum hair. Acxa can’t help but think that she looks out of place for a little town in the middle of nowhere, and the feeling only intensifies as she’s waved over.

“Why don’t you come take a seat. You look absolutely famished.” Acxa approaches the bar, glancing around. As far as she can tell, there’s only one other person inside with her, sitting a little further down the counter and staring into a nearly full cup of coffee. 

She sits a few chairs down from him, and her attention is pulled back to the woman for a moment as a menu is slid in front of her. Acxa’s eyes flicker up to try and catch a glimpse of her nametag; Allura.

“I’ll give you some time to look that over,” Allura tells her with a soft smile, and then she’s moving away. Acxa would have to be blind and oblivious to miss the look she sends towards the man before she disappears into the back. She wonders for a moment what could have earned him such a curiously guarded look, then tries to focus on the menu.

It’s silent, for a few moments save for the barely there sound of outdated music pumping softly around the diner. She fidgets in her seat, knee bouncing as she taps her fingers across the counter. She shifts, sliding them back away from the menu to grip at the edge of the counter. Her thumbs wrap around the bottom edge, and she closes her eyes while she lets out a slow breath. It doesn’t calm her down like she hoped it would, so she pulls her hands into her lap. She fiddles with her fingers for a moment before gripping tight at her jeans, trying to force the anxious feeling to go away.

She almost manages, for a moment, but then coffee man clears his throat and makes her jump in her seat. She hears him set his cup down, then winces as he pushes it away with a screech against the linoleum counter. She tries to glance at him inconspicuously, but jerks when she finds his eyes already on her.

“So what’s brought you out here? Passing through with your family?” His voice is soft, relaxing. While her hands relax against her jeans, there’s still a small alarm deep in the back of her mind that doesn’t like it. 

She takes a deep breath, looking away from him to glance towards the door that Allura disappeared through. “Something like that.”

There’s a squeak, and when she looks back over she’s shocked to see him sliding into the chair next to her. He holds out a hand, and she stares at it warily as he speaks. “My name’s Keith.”

Acxa blinks, looking back up to his eyes. She tries to think of whether or not she should shake his hand, let alone give him her name, but she’s already reaching forward. His fingers wrap around hers, and she has half a moment to think about how much colder they are than her own before she realizes she’s already giving him her name. “Acxa.”

“Nice to meet you, Acxa.” The smile he gives her is soft and warm, moulded around her name. The little alarm in the back of her mind quiets down, but she still breaks eye contact as she pulls her hand away from him slowly. 

Acxa brings her hands together beneath the counter, trying to rub away the lingering chill from his grasp. She pretends to study the menu again, eyes unfocused and heavily aware of his eyes still on her, boring into her face like he’s searching for something. 

“You’re a runaway, aren’t you?” She tenses, staring at him from the corner of her eye. The warm look is still there, but there’s something else mixed in with it. 

She feels like there’s something lodged in her throat, choking her words back while she tries to think of a response. She clears her throat, setting her shoulders back as she asks, “How did you know?”

He looks away from her then, finally, after what felt like an eternity to her. The look on his face almost looks lost as he stares down into his nearly full coffee. His words drip with an emotion she doesn’t have a name for, but it makes something bittersweet pang in her chest. “I was one once too. I recognize the look.”

“Oh,” the sound falls from her mouth, breaking somewhere near the back of her throat before tumbling its way forward and past her lips. She narrows her eyes at him, taking in his profile and trying to figure out what he could have run from. When he could have run from it. He doesn’t look that much older than her, really. Maybe twenty, max. She wonders if he’s still running.

“Why-” she stops, eyebrows drawing together as she tries to think of a way to word her question, “What were you running from?”

The unnerved feeling from before hits her like a brick as she watches his eyes cut over to her. A sharp grin pulls at the corners of his mouth, exposing his teeth in a way that his previous smile hadn’t. She realizes she’s more tired than she thought the moment she imagines some of them to end in sharp spikes, catching his bottom lip as he tells her, “Well, that’s one hell of a story. Stick around here, and I’ll tell it to you. Just not today.”

She couldn’t stay if she wanted to. She leans back in her seat, away from him, eyes wide as she shakes her head. “I’m not staying here.”

He pins her with a look, something that screams of curiosity but manages to calm her down again. She doesn’t like this back and forth he causes in her mind, making her feel like a switch is being flipped violently between ‘run’ and ‘stay’. “Where are you running to, then?”

“I have to get home…” her voice is quiet, wavering halfway through.

“Why run away if you’re just going to go back?” The words are so soft that Acxa barely hears them over the droning music in the background. He looks like someone stuck a lemon in his mouth, face pinched like the thought is physically uncomfortable for him.

“If I don’t go back, then they’ll make me go back. It’s easier if I don’t let that happen.” She can’t keep watching him as his face falls, his brows drawing down and together in the center while the corners of his mouth tip downwards. She doesn’t understand why he would give her a look so full of pity when he doesn’t even know her. 

“Do you _want_ to go back?” 

She doesn’t get the chance to answer before Allura is coming back through the door, making her way over to them. She thinks Keith probably knows the answer, anyway.

“Oh, Keith, please tell me you weren’t scaring this poor girl with your stories like you do everyone else.” Acxa looks up at her, then back to Keith with an eyebrow raised.

“Nah, ‘course not, ‘llura. I can’t believe you think I’d do something like that.” While his tone sounds sad, Acxa can’t help but notice the way he’s having to suppress a smile. 

“I’m sorry if he was harassing you, dear. I promise he’s generally better trained than that.” Keith makes an affronted noise beside her, but Acxa is quick to shake her head.

“No, he wasn’t harassing me.” She’s not sure she agrees with her own words, but everything she seems to feel about him is pretty contradictory already. “I didn’t mind the company.”

Allura makes a disbelieving noise, and Keith leans his elbows forward onto the counter. “Actually, yeah, so Acxa needs a place to stay for a few days.”

“Does she?” Allura doesn’t look particularly shocked, and Acxa has to wonder if she just screams runaway to them.

“No, I never said-”

“No one will bother you here, Acxa. You can take a few days to relax before you go back, can’t you?” His eyes are searching, and she worries her bottom lip as she looks away. She misses the look the other two share while she weighs the idea in her mind.

“I guess...I guess I could stay for a day or two-”

“Perfect! See, so, she needs a place to stay for the weekend. Do you think Lotor would give up his spare to her so she doesn’t have to worry about a motel?” Keith looks like he already knows the answer, smiling broadly.

“Of course he will, especially if you’re the one requesting it. You know he’d do just about anything for you.” Allura rolls her eyes, looking put out by the fact for a moment.

“Uhm, excuse me,” Acxa interrupts their back and forth, “but who’s Lotor?”

“Oh, of course. Apologies, dear-” Allura looks almost like she’d forgotten she was there in such a short time.

“Acxa.” Keith’s the one that says it, and she wonders why he’s doing anything for her, let alone introducing her.

“-Acxa. Lotor is a cousin of mine. He’s about your age, actually. I’m staying with him for the summer, so if you need somewhere to stay for a few days then we do have a spare bed you could borrow. Neither of us would mind.”

Acxa looks from Allura’s wide, understanding eyes to Keith slowly nodding his head to encourage her. Hesitantly, she answers. “If-if it’s not a bother...I’d really like that.”

Keith beams at her, and Allura smiles softly. 

“Well, that’s that, then. My shift ends soon, so why don’t we get you some food then I’ll take you with me to get you settled in. It’s late, after all.” Acxa can’t believe that this woman is really inviting her into her home, into _someone else’s home_ so easily.

“Whatever she wants, ‘llura, put it on my tab.” Allura looks like she expected that, letting out a quiet huff. “I need to get home. I’ve got some things to talk to Shiro about, but I’ll call you later. We can finish our talk then, if that’s cool?”

Acxa tries to pretend she doesn’t notice the way Allura’s eyes flit between her and Keith before she nods. “Yes, please do, Keith. There’s still a lot we need to discuss.”

“Aye aye, princess.” Keith salutes, then winks at her. Then his gaze falls to Acxa. “It was nice talking with you, Acxa.”

“Yeah, you too…” she trails off, something Allura had said a few moments before coming back to her. “Wait! What did…” she glances at Allura, then continues, “what did she think you were telling me? Stories? Is that a thing you do, tell stories?”

“It is.” His smile, if possible, gets wider. Acxa thinks she sees those sharp points on his teeth again. “You can ask Lotor about those, actually. He tells them _almost_ as good as I do now. Just tell him I said to tell you about the forest.”

Keith turns to walk away, and almost makes it to the door before he stops to look back over his shoulder. He’s looking at Allura, something hidden in his eyes, but she can tell his words are supposed to be for her. “See if he’ll tell you his story, actually. It’s a good one.”

Then he’s gone, stepping through the door and jogging away from the diner. Acxa slowly turns back to face Allura, a question on the tip of her tongue, but Allura just shrugs at her. “He’s always like that, but he means well. Now, about that meal…”

_________________

Keith is leaning over the front counter of Thace’s garage when the couple storms in, faces pulled down into tight frowns. He watches them from the corner of his eyes, trying to gauge what they’d come in for. A glance outside tells him that it probably isn’t the shiny new vehicle sitting in the park, out of place for more than just it’s out of state tags. The man is trying to look through the garage, his gaze travelling around the small space like he’s looking for someone, but the woman’s glare is what really catches his eye. It screams of trouble, and he thinks it’d almost be sharp enough to cut if it landed on him. He wonders, for a moment, if her name is Carol like her hairstyle suggests. 

Neither of them seem to have even noticed him, and so he straightens up. He waves a hand to Thace, but he knows he doesn’t need to. Like Keith, Thace knows that whatever they’re here for probably has nothing to do with the garage, and everything to do with him.

He turns his back to the counter, then pushes himself up to sit on it. Knocking his heels against the front, he clears his throat to catch their attention. Probably-Carol’s sharp gaze snaps to him, and he takes that as his opportunity to speak. “Is there something I can help you two with?”

She raises a hand, slapping the man’s arm. Keith watches as he rolls his eyes and turns to him, looking him up and down. “D’you work here?”

“Mm,” Keith makes a non-committal hum in the back of his throat, “I can help with whatever you two are needing.”

The man squints at him, and seems to make a decision. 

“My wife and I are looking for _something_ ,” Keith has to fight not to scrunch his nose at the way he spits the word, “We were told that some guy named Keith would know where it was, and that we’d find him here. So, is he here?”

Keith takes a long look at them then shrugs, a lazy smile pulling at his mouth as he takes them in. “See, I knew I could help you. What was it you two were looking for?”

“Are you saying _you’re_ Keith?” Probably-Carol’s words are sharp, but not sharp enough to cut him. He nods once, then watches as she scoffs and spits, “Of fucking _course_ you’d be some punk ass-”

An elbow connects with her side, and she snaps her mouth shut. She turns her glare on her husband, and Keith has to fight the urge not to laugh at the downright killer look she gives him.

“We were looking for our...daughter.” Mr. Probably-Carol says the word like it’s the most disgusting thing he’s ever had in his mouth. With a quick glance at Probably-Carol, Keith thinks that there’s no way for that to be possible. 

He thinks of the nervous teenager he’d dumped on Lotor two nights ago, and he can feel the heavy weight of the stolen cell phone that Allura had deposited into his hand when she found him yesterday. Then he grins at the couple, pushing himself off the counter. “Acxa, right?”

“You know her?” He turns his back to them to dig behind the counter so he doesn’t have to see the look on Probably-Carol’s face. He can tell by her tone alone that he wouldn’t like it, and he’s already impatient enough over this as is. It’s nowhere near the way he felt a few years before when the witch and her bitch had blown through town, so he at least knows he’ll be able to get them where they need to go. 

“I do,” he responds, then curses under his breath. He straightens to go around the counter, rifling through the drawers as he searches for the keys that he knows exist there, somewhere. Unless Thace hid them from him again, which wouldn’t surprise him. If he didn’t know for certain that Thace, like everyone else, knew how much he cared for them then he’d think the man had a death wish.

“Do you know where she went, then?” Keith hums in response to Mr. Probably-Carol, crouching down to check the hidden compartment Thace doesn’t think he knows about. “Are you gonna tell us?”

Keith’s fingers wrap around the keys and he grins, letting out a little noise of victory. He pops back up, leaning one hand forward on the counter while he holds up the keys with a bright smile. “I’ll do you two one better. I’ll take you to her.”

“Listen boy,” Keith has to fight not to roll his eyes at the hard tone Mr. Probably-Carol tries to use against him, “all you gotta do is tell us where she is. We can get her ourselves. We don’t need some two-bit tour guide.”

“See,” Keith places both hands on the counter and jumps across, mostly because he wants to piss them off rather than out of any real need, “I think you do. It’s hard to find, first of all, and secondly it’s dangerous. Wouldn’t want one of you two to end up hurt, or her either.”

“What do you mean it’s dangerous? Where the hell is she?” 

Keith leans back, resting his elbows against the counter, and shrugs. “This house just outside of town. Locals don’t really go out there because the area’s overrun by wolves, or at least that’s what everyone says. Lots of tourists end up lost out there and get hurt, so it really is best if you let me take you right to her.”

The couple shares a look, and he can tell that they don’t trust him. He doesn’t blame them, really. He doesn’t need them to trust him. His conversation with Acxa made him sure they’d still follow him anyway. “If it’s so dangerous, how’d she get out there? And why the hell do you know she’s there?”

Keith laughs, because he can’t help it. This time he does roll his eyes. “She didn’t have money for a motel and was trying to find somewhere she could stay without raising too many questions. I just happened to catch her when she got here. _I’m_ the one that took her out there. I don’t believe all the wolf hype, anyway,” he tells them as he pushes off the counter, straightening up.

“So, you lied about the wolves?” Keith thinks that Probably-Carol really should work on her personal skills.

“Nope, I just don’t think they hurt anybody. No, I think the real danger is the vampires.” He doesn’t give that time to sink in, heading towards the door and holding the keys over his head. Over his shoulder, he shouts, “Thace! I’m taking your ride for a bit!”

There’s a clatter from the back of the shop, and then a loud curse. Keith smirks, now sure that Thace had thought he didn’t know about that hiding spot. “You best bring ‘er back in one piece, y’hear me, Shirogane! And keep yer fuckin’ eatin’ habits away from ‘er!”

“You got it, pops!” Keith can’t help but laugh. There’s another bang from Thace, then Keith is pushing outside. He doesn’t have to check to make sure Acxa’s parents are following him. “You two can just follow behind me, and I’ll make sure you get your daughter back.”

He has to pretend that he can’t hear everything they’re saying about him, even as they shut themselves in their car. He’s been called worse by worse before, so Probably-Carol’s insistence that he’s insane doesn’t do much more than pull a chuckle from him. He throws himself into Thace’s car, probably rough enough to earn him a lecture if Thace had seen.

He leads them out of town, taking far too many roads partially to confuse them and make his claim that it’s hard to find seem more real than it is. Mostly, though, to push the speedometer to it’s edges and see how fast they’re willing to follow him around the bends. Thace would absolutely have a lecture for him if he saw it, but he thinks the crash would be worth it. 

It takes them ten minutes longer than it should have to reach the little straight path of road through the trees that connects to the house’s long drive even with as fast as he was going. For their merit, though, Mr. and Mrs. Probably-Carol roll to a stop just as he’s getting out of the car, so it obviously wasn’t fast enough. He stuffs the keys in his pocket as they get out, then hooks his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the third car parked nearly next to a path of destroyed stone.

“See, told you guys she was here. C’mon, it’s this way.” He spins on his heel, then starts towards the house. It’s not often that he brings strangers out here while the sun’s still up, casting everything in shadows different from the long reaching, ominous ones the moon brings out. He forgot how pretty the walk could be, surrounded by trees and wildflowers, and he almost wishes that he could appreciate it without his present company spitting curses at his back. 

The walk really seems much longer at night, so it’s not long before the trees are falling away and they’re greeted with the sight of a large, old home. He smiles at the sight of it, catalogues what he’ll need to fix up next to keep it standing. The purple paint, once black but now faded beyond recognition, brings back memories for him of painting it with his husband, covering up whatever color it had once been in honor of starting over. 

He can see lights on inside, and then he closes his eyes, listening. He can hear shuffling inside, slow and quiet, and he has to fight his smile. It’s not often he gets to see his husband in the light of day, after all. 

When he reaches the edge of the porch, he turns to face the couple still following him. Mr. Probably-Carol is looking around the clearing like he’s waiting for something, while Probably-Carol is glaring up the stairs at the front door. Anticipation thrums in his veins as he nods towards the door. “Do you guys think you can take it from here? I gotta get that car back to Thace, or he’ll have my hide.”

Probably-Carol scoffs at him, then proceeds to march up the steps. Her husband looks at him for a long moment, then turns away. “Get lost, kid. Thanks for bringing us to her.”

“It was no bother at all,” he mumbles before turning away and pretending to walk away. He waits until their attention moves from him, until he can hear Mr. Probably-Carol pounding his fist against the front door. Keith glances back, takes in the sight of their backs to him, and then he turns around and waits. 

The door swings open, and Keith grins at the sight of Shiro squinting out into the afternoon light. He focuses on the conversation, waiting for the moment he needs.

“Can I help you two?” Voice low, Shiro sounds like something dangerous. He sounds like he does when he’s hunting, ominous and so full of _promise_. Keith loves it.

He watches from behind as Mr. Probably-Carol straightens his back, and he can imagine him puffing out his chest. He can understand why; Shiro definitely has the more threatening presence between the two of them. That doesn’t have to mean it’s accurate. 

Keith misses whatever is said next, but he doesn’t miss the slow grin that spreads across Shiro’s face, so he knows that Mr. Probably-Carol said the magic words; Keith brought them here. He moves before Shiro’s fangs are revealed, being as silent as he can while vaulting up the stairs to hover a few steps behind the couple. 

“Well,” he watches as Shiro takes a step forward, and then his eyes meet Keith’s over Probably-Carol’s head and his smile turns menacing. A hand darts out, grabbing Mr. Probably-Carol by the throat, and he finishes, “you should have known better than to follow a stranger into the woods.”

Probably-Carol steps back, colliding with Keith’s chest as her husband reaches up to try and pry Shiro’s hand off of him. She goes to turn, but Keith’s arm snakes around her shoulders. He claws at her throat, digging his nails into her trachea until he can feel her pulse hard against his fingertips. The corners of his lips turn up as he leans down further into her space.

“I told you,” he whispers, watching from just over her shoulder as Shiro jerks her husband forward. His hand shifts, tilting Mr. Probably-Carol’s head to the side before his fingers are sliding to slowly expose his neck. Keith sees Shiro’s hand flex, and then there’s the sound of bone crushing. For what he’s worth, the man doesn’t scream until Shiro’s teeth sink through his skin to get to vein. 

“It’s the vampires you really have to worry about out here.” Probably-Carol lets out a half aborted noise, somewhere between a sob and a scream, and then Keith’s face is buried in her neck. He takes a long breath, reveling in the smell of fear so strong that he full-body shudders. He doesn’t mean to, but his hand tenses against her neck, and he feels the moment her trachea gives. He crushes it beneath his fingers, nails cutting into her skin, and she’s silent as he opens his jaw and bites against her throat. 

She struggles for just a moment, bucking wildly against him, and somewhere in the back of his mind he has to give her credit for still being conscious. Then she jerks, forcing his teeth to rip against her throat and he tightens his grip to keep her in place. His nails slice against the delicate skin he’s holding, and his fingers follow them through. He doesn’t mean for it to happen, but his fingers buried deep in her throat alongside his teeth stops her struggling. He considers it a win. 

By the time he pulls away, Shiro has already dropped the husband into a heap on the porch. Keith tosses his meal next to him, then sneers down at the corpses. He’s feeling vindictive, high on fresh blood, and almost wishes that he’d been able to drag it out like he normally would. He only has to remind himself that they wouldn’t have been worth the effort to stomp the thought down.

Shiro kicks a leg away from him, and catches Keith’s attention. He looks up at him, and he’s mildly impressed by how clean Shiro still is. The man’s a perpetually messy eater, but today there’s only a little blood staining around the corners of his lips. Keith feels proud of him for keeping it clean, and then he notices the slick blood on his own hand. It dripped down his arm, staining the sleeve of his flannel dark. He’s so focused on it that he doesn’t notice Shiro getting closer, or the blood trailing down from his mouth, until Shiro is licking a long stripe up the column of his throat. 

He lifts his blood soaked hand and buries it in Shiro’s hair, debating on whether to pull him away or pull him closer. “Baby, we have to get this cleaned up. I have to get Thace’s car back.”

Shiro hums against him, then nips at his skin. “Let me clean you up, then we can take care of everything else.”

His voice is still dark the way Keith is weak to. So, he lets him. Neither of them do a very good job at getting any cleaner, in the end, but he didn’t really expect them to. 

It’s not until they’re finally sated that they even decide to leave the front porch, dragging the bodies side by side into the forest for someone else to find. They don’t bother to clean up their mess more than that, retiring inside so they can get the rest of the tacky, drying blood off of them.

Keith doesn’t get Thace’s car back to him until late that night, and the next morning he and Kolivan track down the corpses. Keith tells him about Acxa on their way, and by early afternoon she’s reported as missing alongside her parents death. 

Marmora comes together to help her disappear, just the same way they had ten years earlier for a different child. She does end up staying to hear Keith’s story, in the end.

**Author's Note:**

> Every comment is another signature on my petition for more lore master Keith, so drop yours below.  
> I told you last time all your blade faves had thick country accents.


End file.
